How to make your betting… better
This 5 minute fix will save you time and make you more money
For most punters, the hardest part of the whole money-making process is backing the right bets.
Because if your horse doesn’t come first, your team fails to win, or your golfer can’t sink the putt needed to land the trophy…
Well, you’re not going to get too far when it comes to lining your pockets with a handy tax-free income.
But let’s suppose you do latch onto a winning source of information, a font of profitable advice (let’s take the example of a couple of services I know well, like Racing Intelligence or the Golf Insider)…
The fact that you’ve located a provider of cash-generating betting tips isn’t the end of the story.
Because for many gamblers – whether amateur, semi-professional, or full-time backers – turning good quality betting content into ready money can be easier said than done.
It’s the age-old problem of getting on.
From all that I read, and all that I hear from my own members, having bets accepted (more to the point having your full stakes accepted) is an issue which is only getting worse.
For sure, High Street bookmakers, the familiar list of layers you see advertised here, there and everywhere…
Whilst they all appear ready to take your money, and lay a decent bet…
Like the “Gentleman’s Agreement” betting used to be in the times of legendary punter Alex Bird (do try and read his book, Alex Bird: the Life and Secrets of a Professional Punter, if you can)…
The reality is that if you appear to know what you’re doing, or even stand out from the crowd in any way, the layers will withdraw their warm welcome, and like a guest house on a sunny Bank Holiday weekend, put up the “No Vacancies” sign quicker than you can say “a score on Trap 3 at Romford”.
And I hear these stories a lot. And more and more often in recent years.
But let’s just be clear about something…
I fully understand, as you should, the rules of engagement when it comes to betting.
It’s a binary process.
Money changes hands based purely and simply on the outcome of a horse race, a tennis match or golf tournament.
It’s either punter win, bookie lose. Or punter lose, bookie win.
And neither party wants to part with their cash if they can help it.
So the punter tries to get an advantage with the bets he places (by using high quality betting tips, a surefire winner system, top notch inside information, or hours of form study), whereas the bookmaker gets their edge by framing the odds in their favour.
It’s a battle of wits.
But it’s a battle that should be played out on a level playing field. And the cry I hear from members of mine (and I use the example of the two services above because they generate the most profits – and so the most complaints) is that the layers don’t make it a fair fight.
And I’m not necessarily talking about odds here. I’m talking more about stakes.
We can all see quotes of 6/4 here, or 7/2 there, and choose to accept them or not, based on the advice we’ve been given, or the way we calculate value…
But when we do decide these odds are acceptable, to have a bookie either refuse the bet point blank, refer it to Head Office, or simply reduce a £100 win bet to £23.50 (as a “trading decision”), well, it seems more than a little unfair.
So much for the customer comes first and the halcyon days of genial Joseph Kagarlitsky (that’s Joe Coral to you and me).
As punters, what can you do?
The stress-free answer to getting bets on
I’m still amazed by the number of punters I come across, that’s members of my own services as well as others on an informal basis, who persist with the same bookmaker, despite limitations or restrictions, and refuse to change…
Or they choose to conduct very little (if any) of their betting on the exchanges.
And it baffles me. It really is like fighting with one arm tied behind your back.
At least with the likes of Betfair you can see the price you’re being offered, you know exactly how much your stake is (or could be), you’re not going to get put on hold, referred, or made to wait whilst a nameless/faceless bean-counter determines whether you can have the bet or not… what’s more if you want to, or need to, hedge your position, it’s an easy transaction…
Yes, there’s some commission to pay. But on account of the frequently better odds on Betfair you’re still much better off – unless you’re a high-staking Premium Charge Account holder that is. But if so, then I’m preaching to the converted already!
Don’t fall for the PR of the big High Street players
I remember watching a documentary on the TV a year or two ago (you can still find it online, it’s called “Britain at the Bookies“), and it provided an entertaining, if slightly simplistic, overview of betting in all its forms and guises.
You see people pouring their hard-earned cash into the now (thankfully) regulated FOBTs… you’re a fly-on-the-wall witness to pro punter Steve Palmer’s daily rollercoaster of emotions… and then the bookies themselves, explain their position in all this and justify their role as purely the facilitator of “a bit of fun” as Simon Clare (head of PR at Coral) calls it.
But it’s what Clare didn’t say, as opposed to what he did, that is key to this discussion…
He cordially invited all players, punters and chance-takers, to have “a bit of fun”, to enjoy themselves, and to freely use any of their services on offer… be they slots, casinos, terminals or fixed odds.
And they were welcome to stay as long as they liked…
And to bet as often as they liked…
But (and he forgot to mention this)… make sure you DO NOT WIN.
Because if you do. There, my friend, is the door. And you will be asked to use it.
The charm offensive the bookies spend much time, effort and expense in putting forward is this notion of fun, frivolity and light-hearted punting. And I fully agree, this does have a place for small-time players and those who like to dip their toe in the water and have the occasional flutter.
But for those of us who bet with more intent, to make money, are we catered for by the likes of Coral and the other High Street operators, big and small? I don’t think so. And nor do many of my members who fill my Inbox with tales of restricted bets and closed accounts.
Yes, I too have the odd “fun bet” and I appreciate the chance to be able to do so, whether it be with Coral, Bet365, Unibet or whoever.
But I also like to open my shoulders and put down some serious money when I’m given the nod… so can I not have this option as well?
Not really. This would seem to be the answer.
Maybe this is the big difference…
As stated above, betting is a binary process. When one party wins, the other must lose.
And this explains the gladiatorial nature of the bookmaker-punter relationship.
Both are ultimately, and inevitably, fighting for the same piece of turf every time a bet is placed or laid.
The difference with an exchange like Betfair is the two-sided contest is punter-to-punter.
This removes from the equation the book-balancing, profit-driven, shareholder-pleasing bookmaker who will slash prices, limit stakes, and close accounts.
Punters, typically, are more opinionated, more aggressive, and less concerned about long-term P&L sheets. They just think this horse will win that race, or that team can’t win this match.
And this is why you’ll frequently see bigger odds on the exchanges than with the conventional layers – it happens all the time with golfers, and in most horse races, and football teams, and tennis players.
All of which makes the foot-dragging of punters to open and use an account with the likes of Betfair, totally and utterly baffling.
It can be quicker, easier, involve less hassle and MAKE YOU MORE MONEY. And what’s not to like about that.
So if you haven’t got a Betfair account click here and start to bet smart.
Because the only other option is to try and persuade the conventional bookies (i) to keep open your account (ii) let you bet however much you want, and (iii) allow you to win money off them regularly (if you have access to good betting tips)…
Well, best of luck trying to do this!!
OPINION: In a betting world where bookmakers are scrutinised for every financial decision they make. Where they are accountable all the way up the line to the next level of management, the boardroom and ultimately shareholders… the likes of Betfair provides punters with an almost “unregulated” sector to find, exploit and profit from a myriad of betting opportunities across all sports. And whilst these punter-to-punter contests continue to deliver good levels of liquidity, value odds and unrestricted staking, it has to be regularly, actively and shrewdly used by the smart operators out there… are you one? If not click here right now!
